System and method for providing and/or collecting information relating to objects

ABSTRACT

A system for providing and/or collecting information relating to at least one object is provided. The system comprises a radio-frequency identification, RFID, tag that is provided proximate to the at least one object, the RFID tag being configured to enable detection of a position and/or a movement of the at least one object; a server device configured to receive position and/or movement data about the at least one object; and a mobile device configured to: identify the at least one object; send a request to the server device for object information about the identified at least one object; wherein: the server device is further configured to, in response to the request, provide to the mobile device targeted object information about the identified at least one object, the targeted object information being at least partially based on the position and/or movement data; and the mobile device is further configured to display the targeted object information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to EPPatent Application No. 19213502.8, filed Dec. 4, 2019, the contents ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

DESCRIPTION Technical Field

The following description relates to a system and method for providingand/or collecting information relating to objects, in particular objectswithin a store.

More specifically, the application relates to collecting user and objectmovement data as well as providing object information based at leastpartially thereon.

Background

In the last decades the supply offered by real-world stores hasconstantly increased, especially with the progressive disappearance ofsmall businesses. The size of the stores and the number of customersmake it challenging, on one hand, to provide an effective shoppingexperience to the customers. On the other hand, the store owners alsostruggle to obtain feedback about the products.

SUMMARY

It is an objective of the invention to effectively collect and/orprovide information in the context of a real-world shopping experience.

The achievement of this objective in accordance with the invention isset out in the independent claims. Further developments of the inventionare the subject matter of the dependent claims.

According to one aspect, a system for providing and/or collectinginformation relating to at least one object is provided. The systemcomprises:

-   -   a radio-frequency identification, RFID, tag that is provided        proximate to the at least one object, the RFID tag being        configured to enable detection of a position and/or a movement        of the at least one object;    -   a server device configured to receive position and/or movement        data about the at least one object; and    -   a mobile device configured to:    -   identify the at least one object;    -   send a request to the server device for object information about        the identified at least one object;        wherein:        the server device is further configured to, in response to the        request, provide to the mobile device targeted object        information about the identified at least one object, the        targeted object information being at least partially based on        the position and/or movement data; and        the mobile device is further configured to display the targeted        object information.

As used herein, the term ‘object’ is understood as indicating a physicalitem, such as a product on display in a shop, e.g. on a shelf or on thefloor, depending on the size. Further, the object may be enclosed in abox, wrapped or otherwise covered and/or encased, and in the followingthe term ‘object’ may be used by extension to denote the combination ofthe actual object and its container/cover as well.

The system may provide and/or collect information for a plurality ofobjects that are available or could be available within a givenenvironment. The environment may be indoor or outdoor or a combinationof both, it may be distributed across different physical locations (e.g.branches) or be at a single location, it may comprise one or moreunities (e.g. rooms and/or floors).

As used herein, the term proximate may refer to a physical relationshipthat includes being at, on, and near. Exemplarily, the RFID tag may beattached directly to the object, e.g. by means of an adhesive, or it maybe connected to the object by other means, e.g. by fastening means. Thelink between the object and its RFID tag is such that the position ofthe object can be approximated with the position of the RFID tag for thepurposes of this disclosure.

In the case of a plurality of objects, each object may be provided withan RFID tag.

Conventionally, the RFID tag comprises an antenna for wirelesslytransmitting and/or receiving radio-frequency signals and analog and/ordigital electronics operatively connected thereto, which are generallyimplemented as a chip. The RFID tag typically can store and communicatedata that uniquely identify an object, e.g. a unique identifier. TheRFID may be active or passive.

The RFID tag of the system above is further configured to enabledetection of a position and/or a movement of the object. More precisely,the RFID tag is configured to enable detection of its own positionand/or movement. However, as noted above, in view of the connectionbetween the object and the RFID tag, the position of the RFID tag (aswell as its change with time, i.e. movement) is considered equivalent tothe position of the object.

By ‘position’ a place occupied by the object in space at a given time ismeant. The position of the object may e.g. be described by values forthree coordinates relative to a coordinate system, if the object isapproximated to a point. The detection of the position of the object mayentail pinpointing the position of the object within a given errormargin depending on the technology used and/or determining whether theobject is within a predefined volume of space. Accordingly,corresponding position data may comprise the object coordinates and/or abinary indication (yes/no) about whether the object is within a givenarea.

The RFID tag can enable detection of the position by communicating withone or more RFID readers located in the environment. Alternatively oradditionally, the RFID tag may be enhanced with a position component,e.g. the RFID tag may comprise a Bluetooth beacon that can communicatewith one or more Bluetooth devices. Accordingly, the system may comprisedetection devices configured to interact with the RFID tag in order toenable detection of a position of the object.

“Movement” should be understood as a change in the position of theobject with time, e.g. due to an action of a user, such as lifting upthe object from a shelf. The RFID tag may comprise one or more motionsensors, e.g. a magnetometer and/or an accelerometer and/or a gyroscope.The RFID chip may comprise additional components, such as acommunication unit and/or a processing unit, in order to receive/sendand optionally process the movement data collected by the sensor(s).

According to the above features, position and/or movement data about oneor more objects can be efficiently and effectively collected.

The server device may be implemented as a server computer having atleast a communication unit, e.g. a wireless communication unit,configured to receive the position and/or movement data collected thanksto the RFID tag. In particular, the server device may receive the datafrom any source device, such as the RFID tag and/or from other devicessuch as RFID readers or Bluetooth devices. The data received by theserver device may have been already pre-processed at the source deviceand/or may be processed by the server device after receipt.

The mobile device may be e.g. a smartphone or a tablet. The mobiledevice identifies the at least one object and sends a request to theserver device for object information about the identified at least oneobject. The mobile device may be equipped with hardware (e.g. a camera,Wi-Fi/Bluetooth components . . . ) and software (e.g. one or moreapplication programs) for providing the various functionalities. Theactions of the mobile device of identifying the object and sending therequest may be performed upon receipt of an input by user.

Exemplarily, the mobile device may identify an object by scanning theobject with a camera and recognizing the object, e.g. on the basis ofrecorded reference objects. In another example, the mobile device mayidentify an object by reading e.g. with a camera information printed onthe RFID tag (such as a QR code) and/or establishing communication witha Bluetooth-equipped RFID tag. In other words, arecognition/identification of the object may be based on dataextracted/received from the RFID tag.

The mobile device may send the request to the server device for objectinformation about the identified object e.g. via wireless communication.Exemplarily, the request may be sent by an application program on themobile device. The request may include identification data of theidentified object.

The object information (which may also be referred to as “object data”)comprises any data related to the one or more objects, such as datadescribing the object (e.g. technical characteristics, physical features. . . ), data associated with the object (e.g. brand, price, use and/orcare instructions . . . ), data about other objects similar and/orcomplementary to the given object (e.g. type of batteries for abattery-powered device), data about actions that can be performed inrelation to the object within the environment (e.g. test, order,purchase).

The server device receives the request and, in response to it, providestargeted object information based at least partially on the positionand/or movement data.

The targeted object information may be a subset of the objectinformation about a given object, in particular a proper subset, i.e. itcontains only a part of the data available about the object. The choiceof which data to provide is made, at least partially, depending on theposition and/or movement data. In other words, the position and/ormovement data influence and/or determine the targeted objectinformation. The targeted object information may also further compriseobject information not determined by the position and/or movement data.

In one example, if the server device has received movement dataaccording to which the object has been lifted, it may select informationabout one or more other objects needed in combination with theidentified object for its functioning (e.g. a secure digital, SD, cardfor a camera or a light bulb for a lamp).

In another example, if the server device has received position data thatthe object is in the proximity of a check-out counter, it may selectinformation about check-out. In other words, the position and/ormovement data may comprise an indication that the at least one object islocated in a check-out area and the targeted object information maycomprise indications about a check-out action, e.g. that check-out viathe mobile device is possible, final price of the object etcetera.Exemplarily, the mobile device may be further configured to elicit apayment of the at least one object, e.g. by displaying a payment promptand/or a link to an application for paying, and, thus, allow a user tomake the payment. The paying functionality may be provided by the serverdevice.

In some examples, the position and/or movement data may be “negative”data, i.e. data indicating that there has been no movement and/orindicating that an object is not at a certain position/within a certainarea.

The targeted object information may be retrieved from a source, such asan object information database, and/or may be created by the serverdevice. The object information database may support any database model,e.g. it may be a relational database. For example, given position and/ormovement data may be associated with respective existing pieces ofinformation, such as “position in the check-out area” “indications aboutcheck-out”. In other words, there may be existing rules on how to selectthe targeted object information from available object information, e.g.in the form of conditional statements applied at the server device.Additionally or alternatively, the server device may be configured togenerate targeted object information on the basis of the receivedposition and/or movement data, e.g. using data analysis and/or machinelearning. The server device may also make use of the existing objectinformation in order to generate targeted object information.

Thanks to the features discussed above, object information can beprovided efficiently and effectively.

The server device may store the received position and/or movement dataand perform analysis on the position and/or movement data, so that thetargeted object information may be based on a plurality of datasets,e.g. datasets received at different points in time. In other words,exemplarily, the server device may be configured to store the positionand/or movement data and to analyze and/or process the position and/ormovement data.

A common functionality of RFID tags is theft prevention, in that e.g.the RFID tag is activated by a radio signal emitted by a radiotransmitter placed next to the exit of the shop. Once activated, theRFID tag emits a radio signal in response and a radio receiver alsoplaced in proximity of the exit of the shop receives the signal andtriggers an alarm, possibly depending on the frequency of the signal orother factors.

According to one example, the mobile device may be further configuredto, if the payment of the at least one object has been made, cause thetheft prevention function of the RFID tag to be disabled. Exemplarily,after successful payment, the mobile device may communicate to theserver device the unique identifier of the RIFD tag relative to the paidobject and the server device may mark the object as paid and “whitelist”it for alarm triggering. In particular, the server device may store theunique identifier in a data structure configured to contain identifiersof paid objects. The server device may be in communication with theradio receiver and e.g. override the generation of an alarm signal ifthe unique identifier of the detected RFID tag is whitelisted.

Receiving the unique identifier from the mobile device may in itself bean indication that the associated object has been paid for.Alternatively, the mobile device may e.g. send, together with the uniqueidentifier, an additional piece of information, such a flag, indicatingthat the payment has been made.

If the user, after leaving the establishment, comes back with the sameproduct having the RFID tag still affixed to it, the user may receiveadditional information about e.g. services and/or objects related to theproduct.

The server device sends the targeted object information to the mobiledevice, which displays it. For example, the mobile device may show thetargeted object information overlaid with the object and/or itsenvironment in an augmented reality context. The targeted objectinformation may be provided in the form of text and/or images and/oraudio, with the possibility of interaction on the side of a user of themobile device. The targeted object information may be displayed all atonce or at different points in time, e.g. as a result of interactionswith the user.

For example, the user may choose at least partially how/what tovisualize. In another example, the user may provide feedback on thedisplayed targeted object information. In yet another example, thedisplayed targeted object information may enable the user to interactwith the server device, e.g. accessing other applications. The mobiledevice may comprise a graphical user interface (GUI) to enable userinteraction.

According to an example, the targeted object information comprises aroute from the at least one object to a secondary object and the mobiledevice is further configured to provide real-time guidance along theroute.

In particular, the identified object may be an object that is related toone or more other objects, or secondary objects, e.g. it must or can beused in combination with the one or more secondary objects, or it isoften bought together with the one or more secondary objects. Thetargeted object information may, thus, comprise details about thesecondary object, including a location of the secondary object in theenvironment, e.g. a store, and a route or path leading from theidentified object to the secondary object. The route is a sequence ofpositions between a starting position and an end position.

The mobile device receives the route data and provides a navigation aidalong the route. The mobile device can measure its own position in realtime within the environment using different techniques, such as usingthe signal strength of Bluetooth signals from beacons or of Wi-Fisignals from hotspots placed in the environment. In some examples, thedetection devices that interact with the RFID tags may also interactand/or communicate with the mobile device in order to determine theposition of the mobile device.

Exemplarily, the mobile device may compare its actual position to thepositions according to the route data and provide visual or audioindications to a user of the mobile device. For instance, the route maybe displayed within an augmented reality context, with the realenvironment being captured by a camera of the mobile device andnavigation aid information such as arrows overlaid on it. Accordingly,the mobile device can lead the user efficiently to the secondary object.

Additionally, the mobile device may be further configured to provideadditional information about one or more additional objects locatedalong the route. Indeed, other objects may be located on the route fromthe identified object to the secondary object of interest, and theserver device may send data about these objects, such as specialdiscount information, besides the route data. The server device may sendthe additional information together with the route data and the mobiledevice may provide them to a user, e.g. displaying them, atpredetermined times during the route. Alternatively, the server devicemay track a position of the mobile device, e.g. by receiving theposition from the mobile device itself, and may send data relating to anobject along the route when the mobile device is in proximity of thatobject.

As mentioned, the system may provide and/or collect information relatingto a plurality of objects located in an environment. In other words, theat least one object may comprise a plurality of objects. The serverdevice may be further configured to store the position and/or movementdata about the plurality of objects and process the position and/ormovement data to obtain values of aggregate indicators relative to apredefined amount of time.

For example, the server device may receive position and/or movement dataat a plurality of times. The RFID tag and/or other detection devices maysend position and/or movement data when a change is detected and/or atpredetermined intervals, wherein the intervals may have equal ordifferent durations. The server device may store the position and/ormovement data for each object, e.g. in the object information databaseand/or in another storage.

The stored data may then be used to compute aggregate indicatorsrelative to a given amount of time. In other words, all data acquiredwithin the given amount of time for a specific object may be combined toobtain a quantitative indicator about interactions of users with theobject. Data relating to more objects can also be combined. The datacollected over the given amount of time are processed to extract valuesof aggregate indicators, which are quantities that provide indicationsabout the object(s).

For example, every time an object is moved e.g. lifted, a counter valuemay be increased: the cumulative value of the counter over the givenamount of time may be an aggregate indicator value. In another example,every time an object is moved to a check-out area, a counter value maybe increased. If more objects are nominally identical to each other,such as examples of the same product, the counter value may be increasedeach time one of the identical objects is moved to the check-out area.The corresponding indicator may then be associated with each of theidentical objects.

The system may further comprise an additional mobile device configuredto display the values of the aggregate indicators superimposed on aspatial representation of the environment. The additional mobile devicemay be a mobile device belonging to e.g. a store owner. An applicationthat is not available to users of the (first) mobile device, e.g.customers, may be installed on the additional mobile device in order toprovide the functionalities discussed below.

Each object may be associated with a prescribed location within theenvironment, which is the location where the object is positioned bydefault, e.g. by the store owner or an employee, and where it issupposed to be so that it can be found, e.g. by a customer. If there isan aggregate indicator associated with the object, the value of theaggregate indicator may be shown at the location of the object withinthe spatial representation of the environment, such as a map of a store.

The value may be shown as a number (“100”) at the prescribed location ofthe object, and/or may be shown using color, such as a colored dotoverlaid on the spatial representation at the prescribed location. Inparticular, if a given aggregate indicator is seen as a variable of theplurality of objects, the areas of the spatial representation may becolored e.g. shaded in proportion to the value of the indicator.Different colors and/or different shades (e.g. with different intensity)of the same color may be associated with different values or valuesranges of the indicator, thereby providing a heat map or Choropleth map.Accordingly, the values may be displayed directly or in an indirectmanner that requires a legend to be interpreted.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to acomputer-implemented method for providing and/or collecting informationrelating to at least one object, the method comprising:

-   -   providing the at least one object with a radio-frequency        identification, RFID, tag that enables detection of a position        and/or a movement of the at least one object;        detecting the position and/or the movement of the at least one        object;        receiving, by a server device, position and/or movement data        about the at least one object;        identifying, by a mobile device, the at least one object;        sending, by the mobile device, a request to the server device        for object information about the identified at least one object;    -   providing, by the server device, targeted object information        about the identified at least one object to the mobile device,        the targeted object information being at least partially based        on the position and/or movement data; and    -   displaying, by the mobile device, the targeted object        information.

It should be noted that the execution of the steps of the method doesnot necessarily follow the order in which they are listed above and atleast some steps may be repeated.

For example, after displaying the targeted object information, furthertargeted object information may be provided by the server device, whichis in turn again displayed and so on. Further, the position and/ormovement may be detected again after displaying the targeted objectinformation, so that new position and/or movement data may be sent tothe server device. Accordingly, the server device may provide newtargeted object information, which is subsequently displayed.

In another example, the object may be identified and the request forobject information may be sent before position and/or movement isdetected and corresponding data are received.

In an example, displaying, by the mobile device, the targeted objectinformation may comprise using augmented reality.

In an example, the position and/or movement data may comprise anindication that the at least one object is located in a check-out areaand the targeted object information may comprise indications about acheck-out action. Furthermore, the RFID tag may provide a theftprevention function and the method may further comprise eliciting, bythe mobile device, a payment of the at least one object; and, if thepayment of the at least one object has been made, disabling the theftprevention function of the RFID tag.

In an example, the targeted object information may comprise a route fromthe at least one object to a secondary object and the method may furthercomprise providing, by the mobile device, real-time guidance along theroute. Furthermore, the method may additionally comprise providing, bythe mobile device, additional information about one or more additionalobjects located along the route.

In an example, the at least one object may comprise a plurality ofobjects located in an environment and the method may further comprise:

-   -   storing, by the server device, the position and/or movement data        about the plurality of objects;    -   processing, by the server device, the position and/or movement        data to obtain values of aggregate indicators relative to a        predefined amount of time; and    -   displaying, by an additional mobile device, the values of the        aggregate indicators superimposed on a spatial representation of        the environment.

The subject matter described in the application can be implemented as amethod or as a system, possibly in the form of one or more computerprogram products. The subject matter described in the application can beimplemented in a data signal or on a machine readable medium, where themedium is embodied in one or more information carriers, such as aCD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a semiconductor memory, or a hard disk. Such computerprogram products may cause a data processing apparatus to perform one ormore operations described in the application.

In addition, subject matter described in the application can also beimplemented as a system including a processor, and a memory coupled tothe processor. The memory may encode one or more programs to cause theprocessor to perform one or more of the methods described in theapplication. Further subject matter described in the application can beimplemented using various machines.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Details of exemplary embodiments are set forth below with reference tothe exemplary drawings. Other features will be apparent from thedescription, the drawings, and from the claims. It should be understood,however, that even though embodiments are separately described, singlefeatures of different embodiments may be combined to furtherembodiments.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary setup of a system according to the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the system according to the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary functional block diagram of the systemaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an exemplary processing for providing and/orcollecting information relating to one or more objects.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of another exemplary processing for providingand/or collecting information relating to one or more objects.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of yet another exemplary processing forproviding and/or collecting information relating to one or more objects.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary functional block diagram of the softwarelayers according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following, a detailed description of examples will be given withreference to the drawings. It should be understood that variousmodifications to the examples may be made. Unless explicitly indicatedotherwise, elements of one example may be combined and used in otherexamples to form new examples.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary setup of a system according to the presentdisclosure. In the exemplary setup shown in FIG. 1, objects O1, O2, . .. (hereinafter, collectively referred to as “objects O” or, in case ofreferring to one of the objects, as “object O”) are provided atdifferent physical locations in a certain environment. In this example,the environment may be at least part of a shop or store or showroomwhere certain products are sold. Further, in this example, the objects Omay be the products sold in the environment.

In the example of FIG. 1, tags T1, T2, . . . (hereinafter, alsocollectively referred to as “tags T” or, in case of referring to one ofthe tags, as “tag T”) are provided proximate to the objects O. Forinstance, at least one of the tags T may be attached and/or linked inany other way (e.g. with fastening means) to the corresponding object O.

In some examples, the tags T may be RFID (radio-frequencyidentification) tags. In some cases, the RFID tags may be passive RFIDtags that are activated by radio energy transmitted by an RFID reader.The tags T can enable detection of a position and/or a movement of theobject O to which the tag T is affixed.

The RF technology of the RFID tag can be used for position detection,but alternatively or additionally a Bluetooth beacon such as Puck.js maybe integrated in the tag T. If triangulation and/or trilateration isused to determine the position of the tag T and, consequently, of theobject O to which the tag T is affixed, at least three detection devices30 may be part of the system. Depending on the size of the environmentand the range of the technology used for position detection, a pluralityof triplets of detection devices 30 may be used, wherein triplets mayhave common elements. The detection devices 30 may be RFID readersand/or Bluetooth devices that can receive Bluetooth signals, e.g.Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals.

In order to allow for movement detection, the tag T may comprise amagnetometer, which is also part of the Bluetooth beacon Puck.js, and/ora gyroscope and/or an accelerometer.

It should be noted that the number of the objects O and thecorresponding tags T provided in the environment may be more than orless than that shown in FIG. 1. Further, the locations of the objects Oand the optional detection devices 30 as shown in FIG. 1 serve onlyillustrative purposes and do not necessarily correspond to reallocations.

In the example of FIG. 1, the user U (e.g., a customer) may carry amobile device 10. The mobile device 10 may be configured to identify atleast one object O. In case the user U is interested in an object O, theuser U may instruct the mobile device 10 to obtain informationcorresponding to the identified object O. The mobile device 10 may senda request for information to a server device 20 via a wireless network(not shown).

The server device 20 may be provided within the environment or at adifferent location outside the environment, e.g. remotely from theenvironment. The server device 20 may comprise one or more serverapplications may be configured to receive, process and/or provide thedata concerning the one or more objects O. The server device 20 may bein communication with an object information database 40 storing objectinformation. The server device 20 may further communicate via a wirelessnetwork with the tags T and/or the detection devices 30, in order toreceive position and/or movement data. The server device 20 may storeand/or analyse the position and/or movement data.

The server device 20 may retrieve targeted object information from theobject information database about an object O in response to the requestof the mobile device 10, wherein the targeted object information ischosen at least partially based on the position and/or movement data.Alternatively or additionally, the server device 20 may generatetargeted object information. The server device 20 may then transmit thedata constituting the targeted object information to the mobile device10.

Exemplarily, the server device 20 may be run via a cloud provider e.g.by using a platform like Kyma.

The mobile device 10 may display the targeted object informationreceived from the server device 20, for instance by using augmentedreality.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the system according to the presentdisclosure. As also stated above with reference to FIG. 1, the systemshown in FIG. 2 may comprise the tags T, the mobile device 10 and theserver device 20. The mobile device 10, the tags T and the server device20 may be connected via the network 60. The network 60 may include theInternet and/or one or more intranets. Further, at least part of thenetwork 60 is implemented by a wireless network (e.g. wireless localarea network (WLAN), cellular network, etc.).

The exemplary system shown in FIG. 2 may further comprise detectiondevices 30, an object information database (DB) 40 and an additionalmobile device 50, which may be connected to the network 60. The detailsof these devices will be described later below with reference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary functional block diagram of the systemaccording to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, the mobiledevice 10 may comprise a identification unit 100, a communication unit102, input unit 104, output unit 106 and a control unit 108.

The communication unit 102 may be an interface for communicating withother devices such as the server device 20. The communication unit 102may be implemented by, for example, a network interface that enablescommunication via a wireless network, such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

The identification unit 100 may be configured to identify an object O.The identification unit 100 may be implemented by a device that issuitable for identifying an object O, depending on the technology usedfor the identification. For example, the identification unit 100 may bea camera configured to capture an image of the object O. In otherexamples, the identification may be based on the tag T affixed to theobject O. For instance, the tag T may comprise computer-readable code(such as barcode or QR code etc.) and/or human-readable code, so thatthe identification unit 100 may be a camera or another reader device(e.g. QR code reader or optical character recognition (OCR) reader). Ina further example, if the tag T has Bluetooth functionalities, theidentification unit 100 may be part of the communication unit 102. Theactual identification may further require specific software.

The input unit 104 may be configured to receive inputs from the user.The input unit 104 may comprise, for example, one or more switches(e.g., buttons) corresponding to one or more possible user instructions,which may be implemented by a touch panel displaying the switches. Forinstance, one of the switches may correspond to a user instruction torequest object information, to purchase an object, to start navigationtowards an object and other actions, some of which will be furtherdescribed below. In particular, the input unit 104 may be the touchscreen of a smartphone.

The output unit 106 may be configured to provide outputs. The outputunit 106 may comprise, for example, a haptic output device, an audiooutput device and/or a display device. In some examples, the output unit106 may provide an output presenting the received targeted objectinformation, e.g. displaying the information on a display device. Forinstance, if the mobile device 10 provides real-time guidance along aroute, in case the output unit 106 comprises a haptic output device(e.g., vibration motor), the output unit 106 may output different hapticeffects to lead the user. Further, in case the output unit 106 comprisesan audio output device, the output unit 106 may output different audiooutputs providing indications about the route (e.g. ‘turn left’).

The control unit 108 may be configured to control the mobile device 10.The control unit 108 may be implemented by a processor and a memory, forexample. The control unit 108 may be configured to control theidentification unit 100, the communication unit 102 and the output unit106 of the mobile device 10 to perform processing as described herein.

In some examples, the mobile device 10 may be implemented by asmartphone or a tablet computer, with one or more software applicationsthat cause the device to perform the processes as described herein.

The additional mobile device 50 may include any of the elementsdescribed with reference to the mobile device 10.

The object information DB 40 may store object information for eachobject. The object information may be information relating to an objectand may include but is not limited to, a default location of the object,rest in stock of the object, possible delivery dates of the object,promotions relating to the object, offerings relating to the object,cross sells relating to the object, bundles of the objects, etc.

The server device 20 may be implemented by a server computer. The serverdevice 20 may be configured to provide, in response to a data request bythe mobile device 10 and/or the additional mobile device 50, theinformation relating to the one or more objects of interest.

In some examples, the server device 20 may provide furtherapplication(s) which uses the information relating to the object(s) ofinterest selected by the user. For example, the server device 20 mayprovide an online shopping website from which the user may placepurchase orders of the object(s) of interest selected by the user.

The tags T may be conventional security tags for products in a store,such as RFID tags, enhanced with additional functionalities that turnthe products into self-managed products.

These additional functionalities may include, but are not limited to,position and/or movement detection and communication of position and/ormovement data.

The detection devices 30 may be devices that interact with the tags Te.g. in order to determine a position of the tags T and, consequently,of the objects O. The detection devices 30 may also interact with themobile device 10, in particular with the communication unit 102, inorder to determine a position of the mobile device 10 and, consequently,of a user U holding the mobile device 10.

It should be noted that the system described above with reference toFIGS. 1 to 3 provides a mere example of the system according to thepresent disclosure and the system may have different configurations thanthe one shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an exemplary processing for providing and/orcollecting information relating to one or more objects.

An example of an object O may be a camera that is provided at 410 with atag T that comprises a motion sensor that can sense whether the object Oand the tag T are moved, e.g. lifted from a shelf in a shop. The motionsensor may be a magnetometer and/or an accelerometer and/or a gyroscope.Further, the tag T may comprise a communication unit to transmitmovement data. Exemplarily, the tag T may transmit movement data when amovement is detected.

A user U, such as a customer, may take the camera O off the shelf, thustriggering the detection of the movement (step 420) by the motion sensorin the tag T and the transmission of the movement data to the serverdevice 20, which receives the data at 430. The server device 20 maystore, keep track and analyze the movement data (e.g. using a softwarelike Qualtrics), therefore recognizing that the camera has been liftedfor the first time in a long time, e.g. no movement events have beendetected over a predefined amount of time, such as 24 hours or sevendays.

The customer U may be interested in learning more about the camera O andmay use a mobile app on their mobile device 10 to check the details ofthe camera. For example, the customer U may capture a picture of thecamera or its box with the mobile device 10 and a picture-recognitionprocess may be performed, leading to the identification of the camera Oat 440. The mobile device 10 may then send a request for informationabout the camera to the server device 20 at 450.

Once the server device 20 receives the request of the mobile device 10,based on the fact that the camera has been lifted for a first time in along time, it may decide to offer a discount for the camera to thecustomer and so it generates a targeted piece of information about a 10%discount on the camera price, providing it to the mobile device 10 at460.

The mobile device 10 may display a notification about the discount tothe customer U at 470, wherein the notification may comprise aninteractive feature, such as a button, that enables the customer toaccept the discount.

Additionally or alternatively, at 460 the server device 20 may retrievefrom the object information database 40 a list of accessories related tothe camera, such as an SD card and a camera bag. The customer U maybrowse through the list displayed at 470 and select e.g. the SD card,upon which the server device 20 may inform the customer through themobile device 10 at 470 that the SD card is currently not available inthe store, and offer the customer U at 470 the opportunity of buying itonline or ordering it and picking it up at the store in the next days.The customer U may select one of the options via a GUI on the mobiledevice 10.

The customer U may additionally or alternatively select the camera bagand the targeted object information provided at 460 and displayed at 470may be a route to the camera bag, with an option for guiding thecustomer U to the location of the camera bag in the store. The customermay accept the offer and real-time guidance along a route to the shelfwhere the bag is located may be provided. For example, the mobile device10 may capture pictures/video of the environment, i.e. the shop, whilethe customer U is moving among the shelves and use augmented reality toshow the route e.g. as a line with arrows changing direction accordingthe user movements.

Further, the server device 20 may provide at 460, while the route isbeing displayed at 470, additional information about objects along theroute, such as special offers, which are also displayed (at 470).

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of another exemplary processing for providingand/or collecting information relating to one or more objects. Theprocessing shown in FIG. 5 may be combined with the processing shown inFIG. 4 or may be independent from it.

An object O, such as a camera, may be provided at 510 with a tag Tenabling detection of position, e.g. an RFID tag T. Further, the RFIDtag may be used as an anti-theft measure.

A customer U may have considered buying the camera O and used theirmobile device 10 to receive more information about the camera O,identifying the camera O at 520 e.g. by capturing an image, and sendinga request for information about the camera O, such as technical specs,to the server device 20 at 530. The information may have been providedand displayed as discussed with reference to FIG. 4 above or accordingto other examples.

The customer U may then take the camera O, with the intention ofpurchasing it, and makes their way to the check-out counters. At leastone RFID reader 30 may be located in proximity of a check-out area andmay detect at 540 that the camera O is in the check-out area. The RFIDreader 30 may communicate the position data relative to the camera O tothe server device 20, which receives it at 550.

Based on the fact that the camera O is in the check-out area, the serverdevice 20 may offer the customer U the possibility to check out bypaying via the mobile device 10. Accordingly, at 560 the server device20 may provide information relative to the check out and at 570 themobile device 10 may display such information, which may include e.g. alink to an app for paying.

Once the customer U has paid, the mobile device 10 may disable the RFIDtag so that the customer U can leave the store without triggering anytheft alarms. For example, the RFID tag may be a RapiTag.

In the exemplary cases discussed above, information can be effectivelycollected and/or provided in the context of a real-world shoppingexperience. In particular, the collection of position and/or movementdata is made effective thanks to the use of “smart” tags affixed to theproducts. Further, the provision of information about products is madeeffective by leveraging the collected position and/or movement data. Theinterplay between the mobile device 10, the server device 20 and thetags T makes the system efficient in terms of resource consumption andtime. In particular, the real-time guidance to complementary items (e.g.batteries) is a guided human-machine interaction process that assiststhe user U in assembling a functioning product. The self-check-outprompted by a position of the items in a check-out area makes thecheck-out procedure more efficient and secure.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of yet another exemplary processing forproviding and/or collecting information relating to one or more objects.

Retailers may not know what customers are looking at in their shops orshowrooms. The retailers do not always have insights in how customersare experiencing the product assortment and what forms the interest ofthe customers. Further, the retailers might not have means to obtainreal-time analytics data in a physical shop, store or showroom.Accordingly, a huge gap may exist between physical and online shoppingexperience.

The plurality of objects, e.g. products, O on display in a store may beprovided with respective tags T, i.e. one tag T for each product O, at610. The tags T may be such that they enable detection of positionand/or movement, e.g. tags with Bluetooth beacons and accelerometers.The tags T themselves and/or in association with one or more detectiondevices 30 may detect the position and/or movement of the objects andthe server device 20 may receive the position and/or movement data at630.

The detection and reception may take place over time, at fixed intervalsor based on given triggers. The server device 20 may store at 640 theposition and/or movement data relating to the plurality of objects overthe course of time. The stored data may be processed at 650 in order toobtain values of aggregate indicators relative to a predefined amount oftime. For example, an aggregate indicator may indicate how many times anobject has been lifted over 24 hours.

A user U, such as a store owner, may be interested in learning whichproducts are more interesting for customers and may request thisinformation to the server device 20 via their mobile device 50. Themobile device 50 may display, e.g. thanks to an app, the values of theaggregate indicators superimposed on a spatial representation of theshop, e.g. a map of the shop (at 660).

In particular, the mobile device 50 may display the values of theaggregate indicator using different shades of red, e.g. going from whiteto dark red, changing the ratio of the white/red components. The valuesof the aggregate indicator for the plurality of objects may be dividedinto intervals, and each interval may be associated to a specific shadeof red. A pixel on the map of the shop corresponding to the standardlocation of an object may be displayed with a color corresponding to thevalue of the aggregate indicator for that object. Each pixel on the mapmay be accordingly color-coded, so that the layout of the shop isdisplayed in color and the shop owner U can see which areas of the shopand which objects are most sought after (e.g. smartphones→dark-redareas, objects lifted more than 100 times in 24 hours), as well as whichones attract less interest (e.g. DVDs→white areas, lifted less than 10times in 24 hours).

The displayed informative map may allow for zooming in, so that a morerefined understanding of the customer experience may be achieved.

Therefore, the position and/or movement data may enable real-timeanalytics for the physical retail space. This may lead to an improvedcustomer support in-store due to better knowledge of the customers, to amore effective placement of the products in the store and to anoptimized selection of which/how many items to provide in the store.Further, the examples of the system described above may be implementedin a store, shop or showroom with minimal invasive installation.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary functional block diagram of the softwarelayers according to the present disclosure.

A user such as a customer C may operate a mobile device 10 on which oneor more application programs 80 run to perform the functionalitiesdescribed heretofore, in particular with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. Auser such as a shop owner O may operate a mobile device 50 on which oneor more application programs 80 run to perform the functionalitiesdescribed heretofore, in particular with reference to FIG. 6.

The application program(s) 80 may communicate with an application server82, which may be part of the server device 20. An application server 82may be deployed on premises or in a cloud environment. The tags T mayalso communicate with the application server 82.

The application server 82 may provide an interface between the tags Tand mobile devices 10, 50 on one side and a database management system84 on the other side, wherein the database management system 84 may alsobe part of the server device 20. The database management system 84 maymanage one or more databases, such as the object information database40. The database management system 84 may be implemented as described in“The SAP HANA Database—An Architecture Overview”, Franz Farber, et al.,2012.

The examples of the system described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to7 may provide the above-stated advantages for any process that involvesinformation of a plurality of objects and requires support for thecustomer as well as the retailer or any other party involved in theprocess.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for providing and/or collectinginformation relating to at least one object, the system comprising: aradio-frequency identification, RFID, tag that is provided proximate tothe at least one object, the RFID tag being configured to enabledetection of a position and/or a movement of the at least one object; aserver device configured to receive position and/or movement data aboutthe at least one object; and a mobile device configured to: identify theat least one object; send a request to the server device for objectinformation about the identified at least one object; wherein: theserver device is further configured to, in response to the request,provide to the mobile device targeted object information about theidentified at least one object, the targeted object information being atleast partially based on the position and/or movement data; the mobiledevice is further configured to display the targeted object information;wherein the at least one object includes a plurality of objects locatedin an environment and the server device is further configured to: storethe position and/or movement data about the plurality of objects; andprocess the position and/or movement data to obtain values of aggregateindicators relative to a predefined amount of time; and wherein thesystem further includes an additional mobile device configured todisplay the values of the aggregate indicators superimposed on a spatialrepresentation of the environment.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein:the system further comprises one or more detection devices configured tointeract with the RFID tag in order to enable detection of a position ofthe object; and/or the RFID tag comprises one or more motions sensors.3. The system of claim 2, wherein the position and/or movement datacomprise an indication that the at least one object is located in acheck-out area and the targeted object information comprises indicationsabout a check-out action.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein: the RFIDtag is further configured to provide a theft prevention function; andthe mobile device is further configured to: elicit a payment of the atleast one object; and if the payment of the at least one object has beenmade, cause the theft prevention function of the RFID tag to bedisabled.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the targeted objectinformation comprises a route from the at least one object to asecondary object and the mobile device is further configured to providereal-time guidance along the route.
 6. The system of claim 5, whereinthe mobile device is further configured to provide additionalinformation about one or more additional objects located along theroute.
 7. A computer-implemented method for providing and/or collectinginformation relating to at least one object, the method comprising:providing the at least one object with a radio-frequency identification,RFID, tag that enables detection of a position and/or a movement of theat least one object; detecting the position and/or the movement of theat least one object; receiving, by a server device, position and/ormovement data about the at least one object; identifying, by a mobiledevice, the at least one object; sending, by the mobile device, arequest to the server device for object information about the identifiedat least one object; providing, by the server device, targeted objectinformation about the identified at least one object to the mobiledevice, the targeted object information being at least partially basedon the position and/or movement data; displaying, by the mobile device,the targeted object information; wherein the at least one objectcomprises a plurality of objects located in an environment and themethod further includes: storing, by the server device, the positionand/or movement data about the plurality of objects; processing, by theserver device, the position and/or movement data to obtain values ofaggregate indicators relative to a predefined amount of time; anddisplaying, by an additional mobile device, the values of the aggregateindicators superimposed on a spatial representation of the environment.8. The method of claim 7, wherein displaying, by the mobile device, thetargeted object information comprises using augmented reality.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the position and/or movement data comprise anindication that the at least one object is located in a check-out areaand the targeted object information comprises indications about acheck-out action.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the RFID tagfurther provides a theft prevention function and the method furthercomprises: eliciting, by the mobile device, a payment of the at leastone object; and if the payment of the at least one object has been made,disabling the theft prevention function of the RFID tag.
 11. The methodof claim 10, wherein the targeted object information comprises a routefrom the at least one object to a secondary object and the methodfurther comprises providing, by the mobile device, real-time guidancealong the route.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the method furthercomprises providing, by the mobile device, additional information aboutone or more additional objects located along the route.
 13. A systemcomprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, thememory encoding one or more programs to cause the processor to: provideat least one object with a radio-frequency identification tag thatenables detection of a position and/or a movement of the at least oneobject; detect the position and/or the movement of the at least oneobject; receive position and/or movement data about the at least oneobject; receive a request for object information about the identified atleast one object; provide targeted object information about theidentified at least one object to the mobile device, the targeted objectinformation being at least partially based on the position and/ormovement data; wherein the at least one object includes a plurality ofobjects located in an environment and the memory encodes one or moreprograms to cause the processor to: store the position and/or movementdata about the plurality of objects; and process the position and/ormovement data to obtain values of aggregate indicators relative to apredefined amount of time.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein thetargeted object information comprises augmented reality information. 15.The system of claim 14, wherein the position and/or movement datacomprise an indication that the at least one object is located in acheck-out area and the targeted object information comprises indicationsabout a check-out action.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein theradio-frequency identification tag further provides a theft preventionfunction and the memory encodes one or more programs to cause theprocessor to: disable, if payment of the at least one object has beenmade, the theft prevention function of the radio-frequencyidentification tag.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the targetedobject information comprises a route from the at least one object to asecondary object.